Syria crisis: US fears Aleppo 'massacre' - Friday 27 July 2012

Free Syrian Army opposition fighters battle government security forces during the siege of the Shaar district police station in Aleppo which was later overrun by the rebel forces on 25 July. Photograph: Pierre Torres/AFP/Getty Images

6.04pm: Today's coverage of Syria has been dominated by expectations that Aleppo, the country's most populous city, is about to become the focus for a major battle between rebels and government forces. Here's a summary of the latest developments:

• The US says it fears that the Assad regime is "lining up" to commit a massacre in Aleppo, but it has repeated its reluctance to intervene in the conflict. Meanwhile, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has appealed to both Syrian government forces and rebels to spare civilians in the city. British foreign secretary William Hague says he is deeply concerned by reports that the Syrian government is amassing troops and tanks around Aleppo, in what he described as an "utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict".

• Rebels have posted footage of a captured military base northeast of Aleppo's city centre, and also a video claiming to show around 100 captured members of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

• Families in rebel held areas of Aleppo have been relocated to schools and the city's university as an army assault is expected at any moment, an activist in the city told the Guardian.

• Turkey has set up a secret base in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct military and communications aid to Syria's rebels, Reuters reports citing Gulf sources. The centre in Adana, in southern Turkey, was set up after Saudi deputy foreign minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said (see 12.59pm).

• A British and a Dutch photographer have been freed after being being kidnapped in northern Syria. John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans were abducted on July 19 and released yesterday. Oerlemans said later they were held by young non-Syrian jihadists and eventually freed by the FSA (see 4.40pm).

• Safety fears have forced the Red Crescent to suspend some of its activities in Aleppo, as its partner organisation, the Red Cross, withdrew 13 staff from Damascus. A spokesman described the situation in Aleppo as "highly volatile".

• An MP from Aleppo province – Ikhlas al-Badawi – has become the first member of the newly elected, and largely loyal parliament, to defect.

• General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, said it was "only a matter of time" before the Assad regime falls. Meanwhile, international envoy Kofi Annan is reported to be trying to forge a political solution to the crisis.

4.40pm: Following the release of two journalists who were kidnapped in northern Syria (see 1.32pm), Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director of Human Rights Watch, has interviewed one of them – Dutch freelance photographer Jeroen Oerlemans.

Q You crossed from Turkey into Syria, where did things go wrong?

A We used a guide who we thought knew what he was doing, but halfway down the route he changed direction. There was a communication problem, he didn't speak any English. But he walked us straight into a jihadi training camp.

Q A jihadi training camp? Were the fighters from outside Syria, you think?

A Absolutely. There wasn't a Syrian present. They were all youngsters from other countries, African countries, Chechnya ...

Q And what did they want with you?

A At first, they said they just wanted to find out if we were indeed who we said we were, they said they thought we were CIA agents [inaudible]. But then it quickly became apparent they wanted to trade us for ransom.

Q And you tried to escape?

A Very unsuccesfully ... [laughs] We went towards ... we thought we had figured out a good escape route and thought we had found a quiet moment when almost nobody in the camp was paying attention to us. But they saw us almost right away running, and immediately the bullets were flying, and the big chase had begun. And 10 minutes later we were lying in our blood.

Q And then back to the camp? How did you finally manage to get out of there?

A There was a moment that we thought we would be disappeared, disappear from the radar screen, that they would take us to a place where no one would ever find us again. Like a place outside Syria, maybe Iraq, or to be handed over to another armed group. Just at that moment, a group of armed men came into the camp. We were blindfolded and bound, trying to wash our clothes at the time.

They stormed into our tent and started dressing down everyone. Why the hell we were being kept there, how long we had been kept there, why we were being treated this way.

Q And who was this?

A From what I know now, they were FSA, FSA soldiers. I don't know which faction. They managed to get intimidate the youth in the camp enough that they could take us out of the camp. Five minutes later they took us out of the camp while shooting [in the air I think]. And we were free.

Q The impression is created that the FSA is now in competition with foreign jihadis in this area, in its fight against Assad?

A Yes. Maybe in the short term they have the same aim, namely of overthrowing Assad and freeing Syria from a dictatorial regime. But where the FSA seems to be fighting for democracy, these foreign fighters don't want anything more than imposing Sharia on Syria. Syrians are pretty moderate Muslims in general, but they want to put them under the heavy boot of Sharia.

And that they [Syrians] wouldn't have much say in their own land, really.

Q You've just escaped, what are your plans for the coming days?

A I'm first going to let all of this settle in a bit, then I'm going home to see my family. And then I'll start thinking about the future.

Today's coverage of Syria has been dominated by expectations that Aleppo, the country's most populous city, is about to become the focus for a major battle between rebels and government forces. Here's a summary of the latest developments:

4.18pm: Rebels have broadcast footage of a captured military base north east of Aleppo's city centre.

The base is adorned with familiar murals of former president Hafez al-Assad and two of his sons in sun glasses.

Today's coverage of Syria has been dominated by expectations that Aleppo, the country's most populous city, is about to become the focus for a major battle between rebels and government forces. Here's a summary of the latest developments:

• The US says it fears that the Assad regime is "lining up" to commit a massacre in Aleppo, but it has repeated its reluctance to intervene in the conflict. Meanwhile, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has appealed to both Syrian government forces and rebels to spare civilians in the city. British foreign secretary William Hague says he is deeply concerned by reports that the Syrian government is amassing troops and tanks around Aleppo, in what he described as an "utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict".

• Rebels have posted footage of a captured military base northeast of Aleppo's city centre, and also a video claiming to show around 100 captured members of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

• Families in rebel held areas of Aleppo have been relocated to schools and the city's university as an army assault is expected at any moment, an activist in the city told the Guardian.

• Turkey has set up a secret base in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct military and communications aid to Syria's rebels, Reuters reports citing Gulf sources. The centre in Adana, in southern Turkey, was set up after Saudi deputy foreign minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said (see 12.59pm).

• A British and a Dutch photographer have been freed after being being kidnapped in northern Syria. John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans were abducted on July 19 and released yesterday. Oerlemans said later they were held by young non-Syrian jihadists and eventually freed by the FSA (see 4.40pm).

• Safety fears have forced the Red Crescent to suspend some of its activities in Aleppo, as its partner organisation, the Red Cross, withdrew 13 staff from Damascus. A spokesman described the situation in Aleppo as "highly volatile".

• An MP from Aleppo province – Ikhlas al-Badawi – has become the first member of the newly elected, and largely loyal parliament, to defect.<

• General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, said it was "only a matter of time" before the Assad regime falls. Meanwhile, international envoy Kofi Annan is reported to be trying to forge a political solution to the crisis.

Some of the men showed signs of being beaten with blacks eyes and a head wound visible. Some 'confessed' to being members of the shabiha, or armed militia.

5.58pm: Today's coverage of Syria has been dominated by expectations that Aleppo, the country's most populous city, is about to become the focus for a major battle between rebels and government forces. Here's a summary of the latest developments:

• The US says it fears that the Assad regime is "lining up" to commit a massacre in Aleppo, but it has repeated its reluctance to intervene in the conflict. Meanwhile, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has appealed to both Syrian government forces and rebels to spare civilians in the city. British foreign secretary William Hague says he is deeply concerned by reports that the Syrian government is amassing troops and tanks around Aleppo, in what he described as an "utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict".

• Rebels have posted footage of a captured military base northeast of Aleppo's city centre, and also a video claiming to show around 100 captured members of forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad.

• Families in rebel held areas of Aleppo have been relocated to schools and the city's university as an army assault is expected at any moment, an activist in the city told the Guardian.

• Turkey has set up a secret base in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct military and communications aid to Syria's rebels, Reuters reports citing Gulf sources. The centre in Adana, in southern Turkey, was set up after Saudi deputy foreign minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said (see 12.59pm).

• A British and a Dutch photographer have been freed after being being kidnapped in northern Syria. John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans were abducted on July 19 and released yesterday. Oerlemans said later they were held by young non-Syrian jihadists and eventually freed by the FSA (see 4.40pm).

• Safety fears have forced the Red Crescent to suspend some of its activities in Aleppo, as its partner organisation, the Red Cross, withdrew 13 staff from Damascus. A spokesman described the situation in Aleppo as "highly volatile".

• An MP from Aleppo province – Ikhlas al-Badawi – has become the first member of the newly elected, and largely loyal parliament, to defect.<

• General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, said it was "only a matter of time" before the Assad regime falls. Meanwhile, international envoy Kofi Annan is reported to be trying to forge a political solution to the crisis.

The activist, who insisted on using the name Anonymous Syria [AS], is based to the west of the city centre. Speaking via Skype he said:

The military campaign is imminent - it is expected any time from now until Sunday.

Many families have fled their homes in the FSA [Free Syrian Amry] controlled neighbourhoods, because they fear an imminent military campaign. They were relocated to some schools and the dormitories of the University of Aleppo.

I don't think many have gone outside the city. In the area where I live there are no visible tanks, but there were tanks around the stadium of Aleppo in Hamadaniyah district [in the south-west].

Since the morning we have seen helicopters flying over the city. They were firing machine guns towards the FSA neighbours . We have many civilians who have died because of the indiscriminate shelling on their neighbourhoods. I saw the helicopters firing above Bustan al-Qaser and al-Fardos [in the south-west].

I would estimate that the Free Syrian Army controls between 25% and 40% of the city. They are strongest in Sakhour and Hanano [in the north east]. My area is under government control.

We are expecting an imminent military campaign on the city, particularly on the FSA held neighbourhoods. We fear that there will be massacres around the city ... because it happened elsewhere, it was systematic, there is no reason to believe it won't happen here.

There were videos all over the internet [of troops and equipment arriving]. Activists have filmed many reinforcements arriving, so this is evidence.

Asked how long the FSA could hold on AS said:

The regime was able to take Damascus in one week, I would say the regime was able to take Aleppo in one week, because the Free Syrian Army is out gunned and out numbered. It will be difficult for them to hold territory in the face of tanks and helicopters and armoured vehicles.

The main arms [held by the FSA] are Kalashnikovs, RPGs, and [a few] Dushkas. They took control of one tank in Sukhour neighbourhood after the crew of that tank escape [when two other tanks were destroyed by RPGs].

Asked about the atmosphere in his neighbourhood, AS said:

Many people stay in the homes. They fear an imminent campaign. There is also a shortage of fuel, so the traffic on the streets is reduced to 25% of the usual traffic.

I am scared. I live in a district where not much fighting is expected. But we don't know if the regime will round up activists during the military campaign in other neighbourhoods. Some activists have changed their homes. There is a real risk that the regime will round up all activists.

3.54pm: While several Palestinian leaders have now broken their silence about Syria, attitudes vary – and the implications of that are important, Sharif Nashashibi writes in an article for Comment is free.

A post-Assad Syria will likely reorient itself away from Russia, Hezbollah and Iran, but that will not translate into abandoning the Palestinians and cosying up to Israel because it would be domestically and electorally disastrous.

However, just as Yasser Arafat's support for Saddam Hussein during the invasion of Kuwait catastrophically affected Palestinians in Kuwait and the wider Gulf region, so might divisions in Palestinian reaction to the Syrian revolution breed suspicion.

The only certainly at this stage is that axes of power and alliances will be redrawn. However this happens, and whoever benefits, should not be the priority. The rights of Syrians are paramount. If Palestinians and their supporters want the world to view their struggle as one of universal human rights – and rightly so – they should practise what they preach, and do so in unison.

While most have stood by the Syrian people, some seem more interested in being anti-Israeli and anti-American than standing up for universal human rights. This is as harmful to the Palestinians as it is to the Syrians.

Parsine is a non-governmental website which is normally tolerated by the Iranian authorities. (Thanks to Meir Javedanfar for the tip-off.)

3.28pm: Omar, an activist in al-Fardous district of Aleppo has been talking on the phone to our colleague Rima Cherri. He said:

We woke up to a huge massacre this morning at 7am. Fifteen people were killed as a result of the regime forces' bombs and helicopters ... I witnessed the massacre myself and helped rescue 25 injured people. I carried bloodied body parts in my own hands. The bombing stopped at 10am.

Omar said the Free Syrian Army (FSA) took control of the Sour al-Hajj roundabout in al-Fardous as well as a five-storey building that had been under the control of regime forces. After capturing the building, the FSA found 75 detainees that no one had known about, he added.

I call on all the international media and the human rights groups to come and see and report what is happening in al-Fardous. We hardly get any attention, people are dying here, there are no doctors, no electricity, our situation is very difficult.

The video above (warning: gruesome content) is said to show the aftermath of today's attack in al-Fardous. .

2.12pm: The Free Syrian Army have surrounded the south-west Aleppo district of al-Ansari a resident told the Guardian, writes Rima Cherri.

Ahmad Mejbi said the rebels were placing road barriers in Salahaddine, which neighbours Ansari to the north.

Last night the government's forces bombed Jamil Qabbani school between 10pm and 11pm last night in the al-Mashhad, which is next to Ansari on the eastern side.

Today, there were helicopters around Salahaddine, Mashhad and Sukuri, in the south, he said.

Yesterday at 2pm Ahmad said he saw 24 buses packed with rebel fighters on a in Ansari.

I am deeply concerned by reports that the Syrian government is amassing its troops and tanks around Aleppo, and has already begun a vicious assault on the city and its civilian population.

This utterly unacceptable escalation of the conflict could lead to a devastating loss of civilian life and a humanitarian disaster. It will add to the misery being endured by the Syrian people, and plunge the country further into catastrophic civil war.

The Assad regime must call off this assault. I call on all countries around the world, including the permanent members of the [UN] security council, to join us in condemning these latest actions and to insist on a political process to end the violence in Syria. All those with influence on the Syrian regime should bring it to bear now. No nation should stand silent while people in Aleppo are threatened with a potential massacre.

1.32pm: A British and a Dutch photographer have been freed after being being kidnapped in northern Syria, Radio Netherlands reports.

Freelance photographers John Cantlie and Jeroen Oerlemans were abducted on July 19 and released yesterday. Radio Netherlands says:

The abduction was kept secret at the families' request. The Dutch foreign ministry yesterday received confirmation that the two had been freed.

Oerlemans is wounded but is understood to be in reasonable condition under the circumstances. He is now in Turkey and has had contact with his family ...

The Dutch Foreign ministry stressed that it was government policy never to pay a ransom or to negotiate with kidnappers. It is not yet known who was responsible for abducting the two journalists.

One of the banners reads: "Better to die on our feet than live on our knees."Another says: "Ayatollah Lavrov's vetoes push us to have 23 million vetoes on future relations with Russia."

12.59pm: Turkey has set up a secret base in collaboration with Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct military and communications aid to Syria's rebels, Reuters reports citing Gulf sources.

The centre in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km (60 miles) from the Syrian border, was set up after Saudi deputy foreign minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said. The Turks liked the idea of having the base in Adana so that they could supervise its operations, he added.

Reuters notes that Adana is home to Incirlik, a large Turkish/US airbase, and it is unclear whether the anti-Syrian "nerve centre" is located inside Incirlik base or in the city of Adana.

However, a Doha-based source told Reuters: "The Americans are very hands-off on this. US intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes."

The source added that three governments – Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – are providing weapons:

All weaponry is Russian. The obvious reason is that these guys (the Syrian rebels) are trained to use Russian weapons, also because the Americans don't want their hands on it. All weapons are from the black market. The other way they get weapons is to steal them from the Syrian army. They raid weapons stores.

The source added: "The Turks have been desperate to improve their weak surveillance, and have been begging Washington for drones and surveillance." The pleas appear to have failed. "So they have hired some private guys come do the job."

• Government forces appear to be preparing for a fully-fledged counter-offensive on Aleppo amid reports of a helicopter attack against a rebel-held districts. A source told a Guardian contact that 10,000 troops have been sent to regain control of rebel held towns around Aleppo and districts in the city itself. A pro-government Syrian daily, al-Watan, has described the military operation in the city of Aleppo as the "mother of the battles". The state news agency, Sana, said rebels were preparing to commit a massacre in Aleppo.

• Safety fears have forced the Red Crescent to suspend some of its activities in Aleppo, as its partner organisation, the Red Cross, withdrew 13 staff from Damascus. A spokesman described the situation in Aleppo as "highly volatile".

• UN human rights chief Navi Pillay has appealed to both Syrian government forces and rebels to spare civilians in Aleppo. She voiced deep concern at the "likelihood of an imminent major confrontation" in the city.

• General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, said it was "only a matter of time" before the Assad regime falls. Meanwhile, international envoy Kofi Annan is reported to be trying to forge a political solution to the crisis.

12.24pm: All Red Cross staff have been withdrawn from Aleppo and more staff are being pulled out of Damascus, the the International Committee of the Red Cross has announced.

A spokesman gave this summary:

• The ICRC does not have a presence in Aleppo at the moment. The situation there is extremely volatile. Just as in Damascus and elsewhere, thousands of people have left their homes for safer places. Several schools in Aleppo have been opened to host displaced families, and the local SARC [Syrian Arab Red Crescent] volunteers have provided some relief items (mattresses, hygiene products and food). However, humanitarian needs are on the rise.

• Unfortunately, because of the very tense and highly volatile situation, and because of a lack of respect for persons, vehicles and facilities displaying the Red Crescent emblem, SARC's Aleppo branch had to suspend some of its activities (particularly first aid services) and reduce others to a minimum as of 25 July.

• Due to the deteriorating situation in Damascus and elsewhere in Syria, the ICRC is in the process of temporarily relocating 13 of its international staff from Damascus to Beirut, Lebanon. They will support their colleagues in Syria from Lebanon, and they will be back in Syria as soon as conditions allow.

• Some 50 staff, including 11 expatriate staff, remain based in Damascus. The ICRC is not suspending its activity in Syria and will continue to work in co-operation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to respond to the humanitarian needs of the civilian population affected by fighting.

• We are seeking ways to ensure that the temporary relocation of some staff does not affect our capacity to deliver humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

12.19pm: The Syrian government is sending 10,000 troop reinforcements to a number of different areas of Aleppo province and the city itself, a security source told a contact who is currently in the coastal city of Latakia.

Our colleague Rima Cherri writes:

He said the troops have been dispatched to several towns north of the city, including Azaz north of Aleppo, which fell to rebels last week, as well as Tall Rifat, and the north west suburb of Hraytan.

He said many of the troops been trained in conducting air drops.

"The regime aims to take control of this areas after gains by the Free Syrian Army," he said.

He also confirmed that clashes have taken place in Salahaddine, the south-west district of Aleppo itself, as well as Hanano in the north-east.

12.03pm: A pro-government Syrian daily, al-Watan, has described the military operation in the city of Aleppo as the "mother of the battles", Hezbollah's al-Manar website reports.

The phrase was famously used by Saddam Hussein in 1991, shortly before Iraqi forces were driven out of Kuwait.

11.54am: International mediator Kofi Annan is still trying to forge a political solution to the Syria crisis despite being made a scapegoat for the failure of the two sides to agree, a source close to the mediation effort told Reuters today.

Annan and UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon were meeting in London to discuss the future of mediation efforts and the UN observer mission, and the Syria "Action Group" may meet again soon, but not at ministerial level, the source said.

The source described the latest veto of a UN security council resolution on Syria as "a trainwreck", but said it was encouraging to see opposition figures coming together, although they needed to "hurry up" to form a cohesive group.

11.51am: It is just a matter of time before President Assad's government falls, General Robert Mood, the former head of the UN monitoring mission in Syria, told Reuters today:

In my opinion it is only a matter of time before a regime that is using such heavy military power and disproportional violence against the civilian population is going to fall.

We are all united, whatever our religion or sect is. Our enemy is one and the danger falls on us all. We say to our Kurdish people, you are a group among the Syrian people. Don't follow those who want to divide us and waste the blood of our martyrs. We say we are Syrian first, then we say we are Arabs, and Turkmen, and Christians and other.

11.40am: The Israeli military is reinforcing its security infrastructure between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria in anticipation of a potential influx of refugees or attempts by fighters to cross over the demarcation line, our Jerusalem-based reporter Harriet Sherwood writes.

A fence which runs along the 1973 ceasefire line, drawn at the end of the Yom Kippur war, is being strengthened and surveillance equipment increased. According to one report in the Israel media, ditches have been dug to deter infiltrators. The Israeli Defence Forces is also reported to have raised its alert level and cancelled weekend leave in some units.

The IDF is concerned that fighting between the Syrian regime and the opposition Free Syrian Army is moving closer to the Golan Heights. Defence minister Ehud Barak heard shelling and saw clouds of smoke while touring the Golan last week. Since his visit, some tourists have visited a viewing point near the Quneitra crossing to photograph and film military action in Syria.

The IDF's main concern is attempts by "terrorist organisations" to cross into the Golan Heights, but it is also preparing for the possibility of refugees seeking a safe haven from the civil war.

11.39am: On the Telegraph's website, Michael Weiss looks at the recent agreement between Syria's two main Kurdish groups – the Kurdish National Council (KNC) and the Democratic Union party (PYD) – to set up a Supreme Kurdish Council with the aim of co-ordinating their efforts.

It remains to be seen whether they can work together harmoniously. Weiss points out that the PYD is the Syrian arm of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation. "Moreover," Weiss adds, "the PYD was formerly seen to have allied with Assad's military intelligence apparatus and suspicion is rife as to what its volte-face as a pro-revolutionary party represents."

However, Kurdish relations with the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) seem to be improving. Abdulhakim Bashar, the former chairman of the KNC who now heads its foreign affairs committee, is quoted as saying:

Our relation with the Syrian National Council is good. Despite the main role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the SNC, our communications with the various Syrian opposition factions have so far proved that the SNC is the most responsive frame and closest to our vision about the future of Syria and the strategy of solution for the Kurdish issue in spite of the other differences between us in many national issues.

I think the SNC is now working more realistically and with more responsibility than before, this could be because its new president is more familiar with the Syrian issues or perhaps the practical experiment of the SNC have given it more experience on various issues.

I have crossed to Turkey and defected from this tyrannical regime, because of the repression and savage torture against a nation demanding its basic rights.

What made me take this decision was the revolution and the legitimacy of the people and their right for freedom and dignity. People's demands to live as free citizens have prompted the use of every method of repression in order to silence these demands. Everyday, I see more massacres, it's happening on the land of Syria, with the use of strange machines and tools.

I have lived through this reality in my own town of al-Atareb [west of Aleppo]. I thought it is my duty to leave the regime

10.44am: There is some video corroboration for Javier Espinosa's report of a helicopter over Aleppo.The voice over on the clip gives today's date and adds: "Aircraft bomb in the neighbourhood of Salahaddine, in Aleppo."

Sana's summary of yesterday's events talks of "qualitative and courageous operations" in al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Yarmouk neighbourhoods in Damascus, where it says "terrorists were spreading inside the populated areas and taking civilians as human shields".

Sana, along with many others, warns of an impending massacre in Aleppo (which it blames on terrorists):

In Aleppo, the armed terrorist groups kidnapped civilians from al-Mashhad, Salaheddine, Saif al-Daula and al-Ansari neighborhoods in Aleppo preparing to commit another massacre against the Syrians.

Units from the armed forces clashed with armed terrorist groups in Salaheddine and al-Sukari neighbourhoods in Aleppo.

Sana's English-language Twitter feed sprang to live again yesterday evening after more than two days' silence.

10.17am: UN human rights chief Navi Pillay (pictured) has appealed to both Syrian government forces and rebels to spare civilians in Aleppo, voicing deep concern at the "likelihood of an imminent major confrontation" in the city.

"Civilians and civilian objects – including homes and other property, businesses, schools and places of worship – must be protected at all times. All parties, including the government and opposition forces, must ensure that they distinguish between civilian and military targets," Pillay said in a statement reported by Reuters.

She said a "discernable pattern" had emerged as President Assad's forces attempt – using intense shelling, tank fire and door-to-door searches – to clear areas of Syria's biggest urban centre they say are occupied by insurgents.

"All this, taken along with the reported build-up of forces in and around Aleppo, bodes ill for the people of that city," Pillay said, adding that such attacks were also continuing in two other major cities, Homs and Deir al-Zor.

She said her office had also been receiving an increasing number of reports of opposition fighters torturing or executing prisoners.

10.10am: An activist in Aleppo has been in touch with the Guardian to plead for help.

You must warn of an impending huge humanitarian disaster in Aleppo city if there is a large regime assault. Please, I'm talking thousands of lives here. Already we are without fuel, electricity, water, bread and other basics. An assault will kill thousands, all civilians.

9.02am: Violence in Aleppo has forced the the Red Crescent to suspend some of its activities in the city, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross told the Guardian.

In an email he said:

I can confirm that the SARC [Syrian Arab Red Crescent] branch in Aleppo has had to suspend some of its activity (mainly first aid services) and reduce other work because of the situation in the city.

Most people who follow Syria doubt the rebels who have been fighting since early last year against the Assad regime will have much time for Tlass ...

Tlass is a child of wealth and privilege, closely associated with the abuses of the Assad regime, who only recently jumped ship. His star is unlikely to rise as quickly among Syria's rebels as it did among the Baath regime he served for so long.

We have a very bad feeling that things are going to turn into a catastrophe very soon with army reinforcements arriving already. We have the regime randomly shelling highly populated areas causing many casualties.

Hospitals are not coping. There is no bread or fuel. There are many displaced families staying on the streets or in parks, or in makeshift shelters in schools. They are very vulnerable. People are bracing themselves for the worst.

In the town centre, some shops were shuttered in the district around the Sheraton hotel and the Christian area of the old city, but there was still plenty of life among vendors who still felt sufficiently secure to fill the pavements with children's bikes and mannequins modelling tight women's jeans.

In Salaheddin, by contrast, many residents have left and those who remain have become normalised to the lack of electricity, sporadic gunfire and the threat of what the rebel fighters say is an army base in a football stadium just outside the district's boundaries.

We have grave concerns about the situation in and around Aleppo and obviously Damascus ... Aleppo has again ... been bombarded by Syrian fighter jets in the latest desperate effort of the Assad regime to hold onto control, and there are credible reports of columns of tanks prepared to attack the city.

On military intervention, she said:

We do not believe that pouring more fuel on this fire is going to save lives. The vast majority of Syrians continue not to want foreign military intervention, more weapons flowing into their country. Instead, they want an end to this violence, they want Assad to leave, they want the violence to end, and they want the political transition to begin.

The rebels who captured al-Bab are short of supplies. Individual fighters are forced to share assault rifles and often possess only a few dozen rounds of ammunition ...

Outside Aleppo, even apparently straightforward mopping-up operations have exposed the rebels' weakness. When they attacked a police station near al-Bab, one fighter was killed and the rest declared failure and withdrew.

The international community must be united not to see any further bloodshed in Syria because I do not want to see any of my successors, after 20 years, visiting Syria, apologizing for what we could have done now to protect the civilians in Syria – which we are not doing now.